The sad tale of Babyforsale.com

The so-called "Internet twins," Kiara and Keyara Wecker, have had five temporary homes on two continents, four sets of parents, two first names, and unacceptable upheaval in just ten months of life.

Now they're back in foster care in St. Louis, where a judge may take another year to dissolve the marriage between the birth parents and decide which one, if either, should be granted custody of the babies.

A year is simply too long for this sordid adoption case to continue, an old tale of child trafficking with a modern twist --the Internet. It began last October when the twins' natural mother, Tranda Wecker, twice put the twins up for adoption while grappling with a deteriorating marriage and three other children. It's a decision she now says she regrets.

Her actions created an ugly situation. First a California couple, Richard and Vickie Allen, paid an Internet adoption service $6,000 for the right to adopt the girls. But after two months, Wecker snatched the children from the Allens' California home and handed them over to Alan and Judith Kilshaw of Wales. The Kilshaws, who paid a $12,000 fee, adopted the same children in Arkansas, renamed them Belinda and Kimberley, and returned home with them.

This was just the beginning of a bizarre international custody triangle.

An Arkansas court voided the Kilshaws' adoption because neither they nor Tranda Wecker had established residency there. The Kilshaws, who knew the Allens had the twins first, shamelessly kept fighting for custody. The Allens bowed out after Richard Allen was charged with molesting two baby sitters.

The troubled Weckers, who have joint custody of one other child and a historically volatile relationship, separately want to rescind the adoption and gain custody of the twins.

Though some are using this case to call for tighter regulations of the Internet, modern technology merely helped facilitate this mess. It was created by people who were, at best, witless, and at worst, venal. The adoption system is unregulated and fragmented, a perfect breeding ground for unscrupulous baby brokers. It was so long before the Internet came along.

Now someone has to be chosen to parent these children. But it's hard to find a noble soul. Tranda Wecker was either willing to sell her children or the unwitting victim of a shady adoption service. The Kilshaws selfishly fought to keep the twins despite the circumstances.

The biological father, Aaron Wecker, claims he didn't know his twins would be shipped overseas like parcels to the highest bidder. He believes he deserves custody because his wife allegedly sold them twice on the Internet. But both parents agreed to give the children up for adoption, a decision that, when made knowingly, is generally considered irrevocable.

The best scenario would be for the courts to resolve quickly whether these birth parents can make a solid commitment to child rearing. Chances are, given the history, they cannot. And if they cannot, the twins belong with people who can give them the critical security, love and stability they need.

Parents such as that can be found. And no search engine should be necessary.